The best historical manhwa to finish is Legend of the Northern Blade, a murim revenge story that's complete in English and tells you who the enemy is on page one. For court politics, read The Remarried Empress before its Disney+ drama lands on November 4. And if you want something new, Dr. Kim of London drops a Joseon medical student, with a modern surgeon's memories, into 19th-century London.
Pick if you want:
- A finished murim revenge story: Legend of the Northern Blade.
- Court politics with a heroine who negotiates: The Remarried Empress.
- Real Korean history, short and finished: Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid.
- A long, slow marriage romance: Under the Oak Tree.
- Murim with jokes: Gosu.
- A new series set in real history: Dr. Kim of London or Non Tua.
- A Regency-style matchmaking romance: Miss Pendleton.
How we picked: the period has to shape the plot, and every series has an official English edition. This October we added three series that started in 2025 and are new in English, and updated every status to today.
Best historical manhwa at a glance
| Pick | Setting | Where and status today |
|---|---|---|
| Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid | Joseon under Japanese rule, 1926 | WEBTOON, completed |
| The Remarried Empress | Invented empire, court politics | WEBTOON, completed |
| Under the Oak Tree | Medieval fantasy, knights and nobles | Manta, every Sunday |
| Lady Baby | Invented kingdom, family conspiracy | Tapas, completed |
| Legend of the Northern Blade | Murim | Tappytoon, completed |
| Return of the Blossoming Blade | Murim | WEBTOON, every Wednesday |
| Gosu | Murim | WEBTOON, completed |
| Dr. Kim of London | Victorian London | WEBTOON, between seasons |
| Non Tua | Imperial Rome | WEBTOON, every Saturday |
| Miss Pendleton | London high society | WEBTOON, every Saturday |
Best historical manhwa for romance and court drama
Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid
The only pick tied to a real moment in Korean history.
WEBTOON, completed. The Korean run finished at 106 chapters in June 2021; the English web page packages it as 15 episodes.
It's 1926 and Joseon is under colonial Japanese rule. Su-a Heo, a handmaiden, finds a wounded independence fighter, Uihyeon Kang, washed up on the shore and nurses him back to health. Then she loses her voice in a botched murder attempt by his comrade, Haesu Song, and goes to Gyeongseong, today's Seoul, for revenge. WEBTOON calls it a retelling of "The Little Mermaid," and it's the shortest serious read here.
Read it if you want occupation-era stakes in one closed story. Skip it if you want romance to be the comfort, not the wound.
The Remarried Empress
The Remarried Empress, volume 1. Cover via AniList.
The best court drama, finished, and about to be everywhere.
WEBTOON, completed. The final chapter, 247, ran on January 15, 2026. Yen Press publishes it in print.
Navier "was an empress perfect in every way" until her husband brought home a mistress and demanded a divorce. Her answer is the line the series is known for: "I accept this divorce… And I request an approval of my remarriage." Emperor Sovieshu has brought in the concubine Rashta for an heir; Navier, close to Prince Heinley of the Western Empire, agrees to the divorce on one condition, that she can marry him. A public humiliation, answered with a negotiation.
The Disney+ series with Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk and Lee Se-young "will debut with four episodes Nov. 4 on Disney+ and Hulu, followed by two new installments each Wednesday through Nov. 25." A Troyca anime follows in 2027 on Crunchyroll.
Hulu's official trailer for the live-action The Remarried Empress.
Read it if you want politics over tears. Skip it if you need sword fights to stay awake. Our Remarried Empress review has the full verdict.
Under the Oak Tree
Under the Oak Tree, volume 1. Cover via AniList.
The long, slow marriage romance, and it splits readers.
Manta exclusive, 192 episodes, every Sunday. Still running in Korea.
Stuttering Lady Maximilian is forced to marry Sir Riftan, who leaves on a campaign after their wedding night. Three years later he comes back, ready to cherish her, and the story is the marriage they build after that. Manta tags it "Bittersweet" and "Steamy." A July 2026 r/manhwa post asked, "I hate the ML so much, does it get better?" One reply answered, "Her stuttering and shyness in the manhwa is heavily overplayed imho."
Read it if a slow, inward romance is exactly what you want. Skip it if the leads put you off early: it's a long series to wait out.
Lady Baby
Lady Baby, volume 1. Cover via AniList.
Court intrigue with the comedy built into the premise.
Tapas, completed at 240 episodes. Tapas ends service on March 31, 2027.
Calliope Rustichel's family dies one by one in a series of tragedies. A mysterious woman gives her a second chance that starts "literally... from birth," so she has to uncover the conspiracy behind their deaths while learning how to walk and talk.
Read it if you want palace scheming that doesn't take itself too seriously. Skip it if you won't finish before Tapas closes: after that, its FAQ says you lose access to "any previously unlocked content." Our Tapas shutdown explainer has the details.
More heroines who steer the plot, in court and fantasy settings:
Best Manhwa With Strong Female Lead →
Best historical manhwa for murim action
Murim history is invented: Return of the Blossoming Blade opens on a battle that "almost saw the end of the Ten Great Sects of ancient China." What carries over from real history is the weight of loyalty, sect and family name.
Legend of the Northern Blade
Legend of the Northern Blade, volume 1. Cover via AniList.
The best historical manhwa to read start to finish.
Tappytoon, completed, rated 16+. 202 chapters, ended in Korea in November 2024. Original story by U-Gak, art by Hae-Min.
The Northern Heavenly Sect spent decades fighting "the evil Silent Night," until "the fourth generation leader is accused of colluding with the enemy" and is forced to disband the sect and take his own life to protect his son, Moowon. Moowon grows up under surveillance, escapes to the mountains to train in his predecessors' techniques, and sets out to avenge his father. One enemy, one goal, no detours.
Read it if you want a murim revenge story that ends. Skip it if you want humor: it's grim all the way through. Our Legend of the Northern Blade review goes arc by arc.
Return of the Blossoming Blade
Return of the Blossoming Blade, volume 1. Cover via AniList.
The best murim starter, if ongoing is fine.
WEBTOON. Season 3 Episode 179 went up October 13, 2026. Updates every Wednesday, with five more episodes in the app. Art by LICO, original story by Biga.
Cheongmyeong of the Mount Hua Sect struck down the Demonic Cult leader Cheonma, died of his wounds and "awakens a hundred years in the future." He finds Mount Hua "reduced to a mere shadow of itself" and sets out to rebuild it. We'd hand it to someone who has never read murim, because the goal is clear from the first episode.
Read it if you want a sect-rebuilding story with a cocky lead. Skip it if you need a finished series. Our reading guide maps the arcs.
Gosu
Murim with a sense of humor.
WEBTOON, completed. 233 chapters, ended April 2021. Written by Giun Ryu, drawn by Mun Jeong Hoo.
When his master dies, Gang Yong pledges to avenge him. After training in seclusion he goes after the traitors, "But when he gets to town, he discovers they're... already dead?" That joke sets the tone: a revenge story that loses its target at the start.
Read it if you want murim that's fun. Skip it if you want the gravity of Northern Blade. See our Gosu review, or manhwa like Gosu once you've finished it.
New historical manhwa 2026: three worth starting
All three started in Korea in 2025 and are running in English on WEBTOON now.
Dr. Kim of London
Dr. Kim of London by Saniga Han, Yu-Su Lee and Ochen. Cover via AniList.
The best new historical manhwa, and the funniest.
WEBTOON. Season 1 ended with Episode 53 on April 7, 2026, and WEBTOON says it will return.
Taepyeong Kim is a young student from Joseon who remembers his past life as a surgeon in modern Korea. In 19th-century London, the finest medical education on offer is "a rusty bone saw in front of a jeering crowd," and he vows to drag the profession into the modern age. Episode titles like "A Fight to Save the Testicles" tell you the tone: it's a medical comedy with real historical horror underneath.
Read it if you like competence stories and gallows humor. Skip it if surgery scenes make you queasy.
Non Tua
Non Tua by Yun-Hui Na. Cover via AniList.
The most serious new pick: palace intrigue in imperial Rome.
WEBTOON. Episode 34 went up October 9, 2026. Updates every Saturday, with ten more episodes in the app.
Vibia has served as a Vestal Virgin since childhood, sworn to chastity and to guarding Vesta's sacred flame; breaking the vow means death. Then she's pulled into the intrigues of Emperor Domitian's court, between the manipulative Julia, a mysterious freedman, Leonides, and a hardened centurion. Her vows become political weapons, and one misstep could kill her.
Read it if you want The Remarried Empress's stakes with real history and more danger. Skip it if you want a romance that's allowed to be happy.
Miss Pendleton
Miss Pendleton by Kkomak and Hye-Min Yu. Cover via AniList.
The Regency-style romance.
WEBTOON. Episode 68 went up October 9, 2026. Updates every Saturday, with five more episodes in the app.
Laura Pendleton, granddaughter of Countess Pendleton, is London's finest matchmaker, steering society debutantes toward love. Then her self-appointed duties require her to befriend the stoic Mr. Ian Dalton of Whitefield, and she learns that in the contest of love it may be every woman for herself.
Read it if you want a period romance with wit instead of tears. Skip it if you want Korean history: this one is all ballrooms. More romance picks are in our best romance manhwa list.
Our take
If a new reader asked us for one, we'd say Legend of the Northern Blade: finished, complete in English, and focused. For court drama, The Remarried Empress is the obvious read this fall. Of the new ones, Dr. Kim of London is the series we'd follow when it comes back: it's the only pick here that's set in real history and funny at the same time.
For the wider murim field, see Best Martial Arts Manhwa 2026; for finished series in any genre, our best completed manhwa list.
Related Reading
- Best Manhwa Romance Fantasy: court romance beyond this list.
- Legend of the Northern Blade Character Guide: the sects and the Silent Night.
- Best Action Manhwa 2026
How We Checked This
Statuses, episode numbers and schedules come from each series' official WEBTOON, Tappytoon, Manta or Tapas page, checked October 14, 2026, with chapter totals, run dates and credits from AniList. The Remarried Empress dates come from Anime News Network, The Hollywood Reporter and Wikipedia; reader quotes come from one r/manhwa thread. This pass added Dr. Kim of London, Non Tua and Miss Pendleton and updated Return of the Blossoming Blade to its latest episode.
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
References
- Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid on WEBTOON and AniList
- The Remarried Empress on WEBTOON, AniList and Wikipedia
- Anime News Network: The Remarried Empress webtoon concludes after 7-year run
- The Remarried Empress trailer, The Hollywood Reporter
- Under the Oak Tree on Manta and AniList
- Lady Baby on Tapas, AniList and the Tapas End of Service FAQ
- Legend of the Northern Blade on Tappytoon and AniList
- Return of the Blossoming Blade on WEBTOON and AniList
- GOSU on WEBTOON and AniList
- Dr. Kim of London on WEBTOON and AniList
- Non Tua on WEBTOON and AniList
- Miss Pendleton on WEBTOON and AniList
